Forgotten Affections
by Riotinred94
Summary: Kagome's and Inuyasha's memories are completely erased. Kagome is tricked into recovering the shikon no tama for the miko Tsubaki. 500 years pass and she is close to completing the jewel, but she bumps into a very familiar silver haired half demon. I/K pairing Please review! Kinda A/U
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: This is my first fan fic so I apologize if it's not the greatest. I will be updating weekly (well try to), but please review !

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 1

Studies show that most people would do anything to avoid heartbreak. These acts range from flat out avoiding the issue through drugs and drinking, while others move halfway across the world if it meant not dealing with the unpleasant situation. Kagome fell into the more extreme end of the spectrum. About 500 years ago Kagome had woken up with no memory aside from her name. She was in a small hut where a regal looking woman was sitting near her. The woman was waiting for the girl to finally wake. She was a powerful miko by the name of Tsubaki and she was very crossed at the now awake girl.

Kagome had shattered the shikon no tama after trying to steal it from her. At the time she thought that she wouldn't have attempted to do something like that, but she couldn't remember anything. As hard as she tried to think back on any semblance of who or what she was, nothing came to mind. The miko supplied her some information. Kagome was traveling from the western part of Japan and she was an untrained miko, albeit a powerful one who wanted the jewel. After the rude awakening she agreed to serve Tsubaki as a guardian of the jewel shards, it was least she could do in order to make amends.

Kagome had the ability to sense and purify the shards. Since that day Kagome had been essentially given immortality by Tsubaki. Her life was directly connected to the power of the jewel. Once her task was done and the jewel returned to its rightful owner she would be free. Her memories hopefully restored and a chance at a normal life. Many others had come to aid her on her great task mostly through the need for revenge against Naraku, a half demon. His aim was to complete the jewel and utilize it to become a full demon. Naraku had ruined and killed many lives, but he still had many allies which made it difficult to get close to him. He was a strategic enemy always thinking ten steps ahead. This made Kagome's already difficult task that much more tedious.

Over time the shikon no tama became no more than a legend and an object only ever mentioned in a group of bestsellers. A book series that Kagome was very fond of. It was a great adventure that transcended time and she loved it.

However at this moment Kagome was cursing the fact that she put herself in this very awkward situation through her agreement with Tsubaki. Hunting down demons that were in search of the jewel shards was one thing, but to have to seduce one in order to obtain information, well that just made her feel sleazy. Not that she hadn't done it before, but this one felt just a tad bit more cheap for lack of a better word.

After eons of battling for the shards Kagome and her team had accrued more than half of it, which she always wore hidden on her person. The remainder of it was located with Naraku.

_Maybe I am just overthinking this _she thought. Kagome had been around for a very long time and had her share of less than proud moments in her life. _It's been a while since I have had to do this type of thing. _

A few feet away from the young miko was Bankotsu who was waiting for her to overcome her reservations and do the job. He stuffed his hands into the pocket of his pants and leaned against the large frame of his Mercedes. "I don't understand your hesitation, you've done this before" he supplied with an utter look of annoyance.

Kagome glared at the dark haired male. That wasn't technically true, but she was aware of what he meant. She decided to ignore him and instead studied her surroundings. She was currently in a small suburb, not her favorite kind of area to be in.

"I dont' typically do this" she supplied back at him. "I have standards you know"

Bankotsu snorted at the comment, "Alright then if it makes you feel better, think of this as a favor"

"A favor?"

"Sure"

He pulled out his phone and began swiping across his screen. He looked like a typical business man at the moment. Technically he was more of a detective, his job was to help secure leads for shards. He was an expert in obtaining information and a master at scheming. He always had a back up plan and a back up for the back up. He also happened to be her friend.

"Just listen to the intel" he looked up from his phone.

"Makoto Okayasu, male obviously, Japanese, works as an insurance salesman, snake demon and as of this past year has been seen with a multitude of Naraku's associates"

"Fine but remember this is a favor, and no one can know about what happens here"

He glanced down at his watch, "So are you going or not?"

Kagome knew he was getting impatient, he probably had some hot date he was anxious to get to. Bankotsu was a playboy, never in the many decades that they knew one another had the miko ever witness him in a relationship that lasted more than a few dates, if even that.

Kagome set her purse on the ground and gave him a hardened glance "You owe me".

"I do" he quickly conceded.

Kagome was not normally the kind to stoop this low, but the lead was too good to pass up, even she could admit to that. Normally Bankotsu would outsource for this type of situation, but the opportunity sprung up unexpectedly and he was unable to get the necessary help in place. She couldn't even think who normally would be tricked into these types of jobs.

She started towards the home, but he quickly stopped her, "Kagome?"

"Yeah"

"One more thing before you go"

She turned back not particularly excited about the tone of his voice. "He has the list of contacts on his laptop, but he called for a lady of the night if you catch my drift... and your said lady" he stated while rubbing the back of his head, a sheepish smile adorning his nervous expression.

Kagome raised an eyebrow she was under the impression that she would have to seduce the man, but this.

"You're joking"

He remained silent and just lowered his gaze.

"I'm not a whore and no way am I going to.."

"Come on Kagome, this is huge for us, we could gain so much. This could be it, we could both be free to move on" He looked and met her eyes. He gave her a pleading look, "I'm in a really tight spot here and it would mean so much if you help me out"

Kagome groaned, "If anyone ever finds out I swear"

"My lips are sealed" he swiped his hands across his lips in a sealing motion.

Kagome looked down at her attire. She did not exactly look like a lady of the night. She bent down and lifted up her skirt bringing it up from her knees to mid thigh. She reached down her top and perked up her breasts. Finally she pulled down her shirt a bit and let her hair down.

Bankotsu was about to make a snide comment, but before it could reach his lips Kagome glared at him. He clamped his mouth shut and motioned for her to go to the house.

She approached the door and it was unlocked just as her friend had said. She let herself in and called out for the snake demon "Makoto!".

The house was completely dark, it took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She could sense the demons aura as it made its way towards her. Kagome suppressed her reiki, the sensation of pushing down her aura was second nature to her at this point. It's what allowed for the jewel to hang from her neck without attracting attention from every demon in this part of Japan. Although miko were respected and revered, Kagome had to make sure she was not detectable.

A moment later the snake demon emerged. He was about five nine with bright yellow eyes and had a suit on._ Probably just got home from work_.

"Makoto"

"Yessss"

She continued to approach him reaching for his hand. "You ready to play with me?"

About ten minutes and two glasses of wine later Kagome had succeeded in getting the guy to fall asleep. She had managed to drug him quickly and the wine only exaggerated the effects of the pills. She located his laptop in his messenger bag, took out her flashdrive and quickly got to work on transferring his files over.

"That was fast", Bankotsu noted when he saw her emerge from the house. He was still leaning against his car, now smoking a cigarette.

"Yup, hey got another one of those?" he grinned and gave her his own cigarette while giving her a once-over.

"Would it be wrong of me to comment on how good you look right now?"

Kagome took a long drag from his cigarette and glared at him.

"You owe me big" she reminded him as she pulled down her skirt and picked up her hair in a messy bun.

"I'm aware, but some might argue you owe me considering the valuable information you were able to obtain, the lady upstairs will be very pleased"

Kagome couldn't ignore that, she technically would be given a pat on the back for what she did, but she didn't feel good in regards to how she got it.

"You wanna get a drink?" Bankotsu offered.

"I can't it's already getting late and I want to go home, take a nice long bath and read my book"

"Of course Kagome and her baths, when is the big day anyways?"

"Tomorrow" she proclaimed.

He snickered at her.

"I have read some of his work, it's just mainstream stuff you know he's hardly a literature prodigy."

"Hey he doesn't have to be transcendental to be a great writer, I would know I dated a few over the decades"

"Far be it from me to argue with a chick about her age"

Kagome gave him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek and then began to make her way over to the car. As she unlocked her car door she felt a familiar aura. _Demon. _Just as she was about to open her car door a familiar face appeared.

"Kagome my goddess of light" he intoned placing his hands over his heart for the added drama.

She sighed but smiled for the sake of being polite. Hoshiyomi was one of the most obnoxious demons she had come across.

"Hoshiyomi I really have to go"

"Oh come on Gome" he countered. His hand snaked out preventing her from opening her car door. "Don't be coy Kagome, besides you look amazing "

She continued to tug at her door. The demon gave her a lazy smirk with one fang poking out over his lip. "He must have been some poor sensitive male to have gotten the chance to be all over you. I thought you only involved yourself with pathetic losers"

"Well things change, besides I didn't want to give you false hope, ne"

He stared up and down at her, " Kagome you never fail to amuse me, now how is it that a miko such as yourself remains so pure when you parade yourself as some common whore" he went to grab her arm.

"Let go" she snapped.

"Why the rush Gome? I have the right to know what you two were up to, this is after all my domain"

"We all answer to the same person so you have no exclusive right to this domain as you call it"

"Now I always pegged you for politeness so the very least you could have done was notify me, I could have even assisted. Besides we never hang out anymore, you always occupy yourself with that loser group"

The losers he referred to were not only her allies, but some of her closest friends. Yes some of them were demons, but they were some of the best people she had come to know in her long life. Unlike Hoshiyomi who was very arrogant

"If you do not let go…"

She knew that if she unleashed even a little bit of reiki she would likely get in trouble. Hoshiyomi was considered an ally and a close friend of Tsubaki, though she couldn't understand why.

"Are you threatening me miko?" he moved his hand up to her neck and Kagome squirmed to get away from his grip.

"You little bitch!"

She released her hold on her reiki allowing it to surround her body lightly, but it was enough to burn his hands and put some distance between them.

"I warned you to let me go"

"That was real cute"

A car began to drive past them and even the demon knew it would be stupid to make a scene. He glared at her, turned away and left.

Not wasting anymore time Kagome got into her car and drove off anxious to get back to her apartment in Shibuya. She tried to ignore the shaking of her hands on the wheel. The truth of the matter was that Hoshiyomi intimidated her. She has had a couple of run ins with him before, where he had made some unwanted advances on her, but she was always with a couple of her friends. This time she was alone and it troubled her that he would go so far as to try to put his hands on her.

Kagome was not one for violence, she was a true pacifist at heart. Through her long life she had witnessed many senseless acts of violence and had seen people of all ages be killed just for the sake of cruelty or stupid polictical causes. _The media complains of the violence they see in modern society but they have no idea. _

She decided to make a quick stop at a gas station for some well deserved ice cream. As she was about to pay she passed by a display of flowers. They were cheap and wilting, but beautiful nonetheless. She saw as a young man came over and selected a bouquet. Her eyes followed him, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy for which ever girl would be getting them.

Kagome had dated in the past, but never for long. She had little faith in men and it didn't help that she would outlive any love interest anyways. Her friends suggested she date a demon, but she was also a miko. She was the natural enemy of a demon. Feeling lonely Kagome grabbed some flowers for herself alongside her tub of ice cream.

When she arrived home, her cell began to ring. She quickly set down her groceries and looked at the screen of her vibrating cell. _Unknown caller._

_Of course_ she thought.

"Totosai" she answered.

"Kagome, I just wanted to quickly congratulate for your success today. The information you obtained will get us closer to recovering the remaining shards."

"Oh...news travels quick"

"Also I was calling in regards to an incident you had with Hoshiyomi"

Kagome groaned, "Incident?".

"He just called about you harassing him"

"What?"

"Did you actually try to purify him?"

"Now wait.."

"Do you realize if someone had noticed or felt the aura of the jewel"

Kagome sighed in defeat. Totosai was only reminding her of the danger her power posed when not in control. They were able to operate with little interference since no one could feel the pull of the jewel and that was due to her ability to conceal her aura, but once she allows her reiki to surface the power of the jewel becomes less blurred. It becomes detectable.

"Did you hurt him?"

"I only defended myself, but I barely did any damage"

Now it was his turn to sigh,"Fine but try not to provoke him, you know he is an essential part of our operations...I am getting too old to watch all you children and I have my own work to do"

"Since when do you work?" she quipped.

"Goodnight and do not allow this sort of thing to happen again, you risk too much"

The call disconnected. Kagome couldn't help but feel slightly offended for getting the earful when she was right in defending herself.

Seeking comfort Kagome made her way to the tub of ice cream beckoning her from the kitchen table. Buyo, her cat, stood up from her nap and gave a big stretch before jumping off to join his owner.

"I'm not heading to bed just yet Buyo I have a chapter to read"

She curled up on the couch, spoon in one hand and a book in the other. She recalled how Bankotsu had asked about her big day tomorrow. Her favorite author would be doing a signing at the bookstore she worked at. Inuyasha Tashio's writing spoke to her, it awakened something deep inside her. His current book, _The Return, _was her favorite in the series so far. She always was impressed at a person's ability to create a world simply from words.

"In all my time alive I have never created anything aside from problems", she let out a slight chuckle while staring at her sleeping cat.

Kagome finished her chapter for the night and put the remainder of her ice cream away. She made her way to bed and quickly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: This is my first fan fic so I apologize if it's not the greatest. I will be updating every Friday with a new chapter (well try to), but please review !

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 2

Her phone rang, she had forgotten to silence it last night. Kagome was jolted into consciousness. Traces of light leaked into her bedroom indicating that it was still quite early which only served to further annoy her.

Today was her day off. After a few more rings she finally forced herself to answer the phone scaring her cat off the bed. Buyo landed with a loud thump and stalked off to clean herself.

"Hello?"

"Yo Kagome!"

"Nope, I can't come in" came her swipt and firm response.

"You don't even know if I was going to ask that"

"Why else would you be calling on my day off? Not to mention this early Kohaku"

Kohaku was an assistant manager at the bookstore she worked at. He recently graduated highschool and got moved into upper management. He was a very nice guy, but couldn't keep a poker face to save his life, even over the phone his tone gave him away.

"Everyone called in sick today and we need help"

"Well I'm sick too believe it or not, so I wouldn't be much help"

Kagome wasn't sick, but she was tired from last night and had plans to be at the bookstore later for the book signing already.

"Liar you're never sick"

"I was already planning on being there tonight for the signing. At this rate I will be at the store all day"

"Welcome to my world Kagome. I wouldn't have called you if I didn't have to. Now don't you care about our customers..."

"Well with an argument like that "

"Okay so the question is will you willingly help me or do I walk the three blocks over to your apartment and drag you here myself? Honestly I have no qualms about coming over"

Kagome rolled her eyes and wondered why she ever thought getting an apartment so close to work was a good idea. He knew she would give in, Kagome loved her job and was close to the owners who treated her like family.

"I suppose I can come over and help since you guys need me so badly"

"Thank you!" the young man nearly screamed.

"Just please do not put me on registers today. I don't mind coming, but I would prefer to help in the background today"

He hesitated.

"All right," he said finally. "No main registers"

"I'll see you soon."

She disconnected the call and about half an hour later Kagome was heading to the bookstore. It was a chilly day and she was happy she remembered to bring a jacket to help keep warm. She had on some fitted navy blue jeans and a black uniform polo shirt with the store logo on it. For make up she opted for light foundation and some simple eyeliner and lip gloss. Edo's Book and Cafe was a large establishment. It took up half a block and was always busy since it was at the heart of Shibuya. It was located only twenty minutes from Tokyo's skytree which meant lots of business from both locals and tourists.

Kagome walked around the customers who were waiting for the doors to open up and Kohaku quickly ran to her.

"About time." he teased

"Hey be happy I'm here to help fix your staffing problem at all, so what am I doing?"

"Come on I'll show you"

"Wait a minute"

"It's not the main registers"

It turned out to be the coffee and tea bar at the cafe portion of the store. In all her time working at the bookstore she had never been asked to sub in for the cafe, but it wasn't unheard of either. They had some cross trained employees, but Kagome was not one of them.

Akari, the cafe manager, popped up from behind the counter. She looked to be slightly older than Kagome in age and was very easy to be around. She had long burgundy hair that she liked to wear in high ponytail with beautiful green eyes which Akari attributed to her kitsune half.

"Morning Kagome" she chimed.

"Morning" she smiled warmly at her.

Kagome was about to open her mouth to protest, but Akari quickly interjected, "Yura called in sick today and the new girl quit, our registers are very similar to what your used to, it will be easy"

"Besides you can get free green tea all day on me" Kohaku supplied as he smiled at her, hoping she would quickly accept as it was just about time to open. Kagome sighed and nodded. She approached Akari to get some quick training, meanwhile Kohaku dashed off to open the doors.

Akari turned her attention to the register quickly explaining the layout which Kagome caught on to easily, "You just take the money and I'll make the drinks. Here let's practice on you, large green tea?"

She nodded at the cafe worker, "Thank you"

Everyone Kagome worked with knew she loved to drink green tea. She usually stopped by the cafe a few times a day and that was how she came to know Akari pretty well.

She continued to walk her through the necessary steps showing her how to mark up the cups and where to find the drinks on the touch screen interface. Kagome quickly came to agree that it was not so bad.

"You're a natural!" she assured her handing over the hot beverage.

Kagome smiled in response quickly taking a sip of her hot tea. As long as she kept the green tea coming, working on what was supposed to be her day to sleep in didn't seem so bad. Besides the day was slow and it was a Monday so she figured it wouldn't pick up until the signing came around. By that point she would be off.

She was very wrong. An hour after the store opened they had a line of people.

"Large caramel macchiato" she repeated back to the customer, inputting the information on the touch screen.

"Already on it", Akari said, starting on the drink before she had a chance to write the label on the cup. Kagome took the lady's payment and moved onto the next person in line.

"Large skinny vanilla"

"Skinnys just another way of saying non fat Kagome" explained Akari.

Kagome wrote NF on the cup trying to keep calm with the ever growing line.

The following customer came up to order and blurted out an array of drinks.

"I need one small vanilla cold brew, one large nonfat vanilla latte, one large double cappuccino, and one large latte"

Kagome felt just a bit frazzled. _How did she manage to remember all those drinks? _

The morning went on and despite her earlier misgivings Kagome could feel her usual perky self coming back. She couldn't help it, not even her unnaturally long life had managed to change that, well not too much anyways. It was part of the reason why she stuck to customer service jobs. Not only was her usual happy persona welcomed in such job positions, but her appearance was that of a young adult in her mid twenties. However this also made it harder for her to get jobs outside of the customer service realm.

"That's all right young lady", one older man assured her upon realizing that Kagome had ordered him a large latte by mistake instead of his vanilla decaf latte.

"I've been meaning to try something new anyway"

Kagome smiled at the man rubbing the back of her head from nervousness.

Later on a silver haired half demon came up carrying a copy of _The Return_. She couldn't help but be intrigued, after all if the book was any indicator, the hanyou had great literary taste.

"Are you going to the signing?" she asked as she rang up his green tea.

He studied her for a moment, his eyes lingering at her face.

"Yeah I'll be there"

"Me too" Kagome answered with her winning smile. He looked down finally, slightly embarrassed that he had stared at the woman for as long as he did. He felt like he'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't remember from what.

"Well make sure you think up good questions for him. Don't ask the same questions everyone else does"

"What do you mean?"

"Well the usual, 'where do you get your ideas' and stuff"

Kagome pondered on this as she got the guy his receipt. He was cute. His silver hair was long and two adorable ears sat at the very top of his head. His eyes were a beautiful gold and he had on a band t-shirt with some dark jeans that neither fit too tight or too loose. Kagome was intrigued by him.

"I don't think the usual questions make them any less meaningful to the ones asking, this is the first time he is doing a book tour ever and most of his fans don't even know how he looks like... His fans have been dedicated he could stand to answer some of the same questions"

He stepped aside to allow the next customer to order. Kagome continued the conversation, not wanting to lose the chance to discuss one of her favorite authors with a fellow fan.

"Forget the fans. What about poor Inuyasha Taisho? He probably just wants to be home instead of answering the same questions all day" he said to her.

"Probably but he seems understanding, at least from what little I know about him. Hearing these questions might bore him but I think he would get that the fans have good intentions and are not purposefully trying to annoy him"

A smile played across the guys face a fang peeking out from under his upper lip. His golden orbs watched her carefully.

"Well he is finally out touring right? I guess that shows he does care for his fan and besides this is his last stop"

"Well I'm sure he is not _finally _out here out of the goodness of his heart either, he probably has a publicists making him tour"

His eyes widened at her remark, " Isn't that a good thing? Don't you want to meet him?"

"I...well yes I do. I'm excited to meet him tonight. If he wanted to carry me off I'd probably go along with it, if just for a chance at advance copies. But this touring thing does take time and that is lost time that could be spent writing his next installment. I'm sure you noticed how long his books take to come out?"

"Keh"

At that moment a previous customer Kagome had taken an order for came to complain about it being the wrong drink. She offered the woman a smile and apologies while getting her the correct drink. By the time the customer left the silver haired hanyou was gone.

Kagome finished her shift at five and Kohaku came to meet her. He thanked her some and then finally released her to get ready for the signing. He definitely owed her for coming in today.

She practically ran the three blocks back home. She was anxious to get a quick bite to eat and not to mention figure out what to wear. Her excitement was growing. In a couple hours she would be meeting one of her top favorite authors. Kagome hummed as she finally approached the steps to her apartment.

She opened the door when suddenly she felt it, a demon aura. A hand grabbed her suddenly and pulled her into the dark apartment. She cried out in surprise hearing the door shut behind her.

Authors note:Sorry for the short chapter and cliffhanger but I will be updating every Friday or sooner time willing. I have a lot of ideas and think this fic will be a long one (Or I hope so my favorite fics are always the long ones), but yay we finally see our favorite hanyou this chapter. Please review I would love some feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: This is my first fan fic so I apologize if it's not the greatest. I will be updating every Friday with a new chapter (well try to), but please review !

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 3

Totosai doesn't very much look like a demon, at least not in a traditional sense that most would expect. His form was completely humanoid and the only give away was his demonic aura.

"Hey!," Kagome said irritated. "Let me go!".

Totosai released her, but his eyes remained on her.

"Just getting home from work? Aren't you off today?"

Kagome tugged at her polo shirt, readjusting it. "I got called in today. I had to cover"

"Hmph" he got closer to her "And wh…"

"Lady Kagome" a deep voice murmured from behind Totosai. "The miko of the shikon no tama, your power outshines those of many. Even with the mark on your soul you are a formidable foe for any full blooded demon".

Kagome startled, stepped back a bit. Totosai turned and gave his associate a firm glare, he was not exactly happy with the interruption. She glanced at the new intruder, he was an ancient tree demon, Bokuseno. Bokuseno's humanoid form left him with deep olive toned skin, long wavy black hair that was worn in a low ponytail, and two small yellow eyes that always had this playful quality to them.

"If I may continue" started Totosai "You did very well with getting that list, we may finally have a chance at locating Naraku after all this time"

"I was just doing a favor for Bankotsu so if anything he deserves the credit."

"Still your efforts helped to make this possible "

His face then grew serious, it was uncharateristic of the demon to ever be so serious especially towards her. Kagome couldn't help but shudder a bit, her reiki swirled within her begging to be released to help deal with the threat.

Bokuseno walked over to stand by Totosai. The two demons were very different and not just from appearance, but personality. It was a wonder to Kagome how they managed to form a friendship at all. She always figured it had to do with how long they've both been alive. The majority of humans and demons Kagome worked with were generally around her age, albeit her other human allies were also immortal but they had stopped aging at a similar point.

Bokuseno rarely made an appearance, mostly spending his time alone or with just Totosai. His presence at her apartment was strange to Kagome.

"So what can I do for you guys?" she asked as she tossed her bag on the couch.

"I want you to tell me about Hoshiyomi"

"I already told you what happened, he was being rude and aggressive"

"Is that why you tried to purify him?"

"I just- wait what?"

Kagome froze, she had been looking for a cup to get a drink. She turned slowly expecting him to continue, but they remained silent.

"I did not purify or try to purify him"

"Are you sure you're not leaving out any information from this incident?"

"Why are you accusing me? I haven't used my powers to purify in decades... since we got half of the jewel and Naraku went into hiding."

Totosai blinked, his big eyes looking deep into her blue ones. "Hoshiyomi is dead he was found this morning, well what was left of him"

"And you think I did it?"

"They only way a demon can be purified is by a miko or monk and even then they need to be trained... We both know that you are one of the last trained miko's in this part of Japan if not all of it"

"Okay I understand why it looks like I did it, but I assure you I had nothing to do with it Totosai"

"You admitted to me last night that you had hurt him"

"It was self defense"

"He said you threatened him"

"Well yeah, but I was alone. He is..was well aware that I am not allowed to use my abilities and he still grabbed me, if anything he hurt me"

Kagome's thoughts were flowing at a hundred miles an hour. She hadn't heard of a demon being purified in so long. It was a common occurrence in the Warring States Era, around the time where her journey for the jewel began, but with the two species reconciling there differences monks and mikos were not needed. The justice system developed and managed to keep both species in check with the rest of each others society. Hence why most mikos and monks were not trained, there were still some but they were very hard to come by.

"Do you know anything about what happened to him?", Totosai asked once more.

"No I don't"

Totosai looked over to Bokuseno who nodded his head. Kagome put the pieces together quickly after that. The tree demon was here to scent if she was lying.

"Glad I passed the test," she muttered with her arms now crossed across her chest.

They ignored her now, absorbed in their own personal conversation.

"Well I guess we have to consider…"

"We don't know for sure"

"I do" Bokuseno uttered.

Totosai gave him a meaningful look which was followed by a few seconds of silence.

"Hoshiyomi is really dead?" she asked.

"Yes" said Bokuseno.

"Who killed him?"

The two demons looked at the miko then back at each other before shrugging their shoulders. Totosai pulled out a flask from inside his jacket. Finally he said, "A demon slayer maybe but that doesn't explain how he was purified".

"Are any still around?"

Bokuseno cut in again, "So miko you seem to be in a rush when we first saw you, plans for tonight?"

"I'm going to a book signing, but let's not change the topic.. So the demon slayer"

"Are you going to meet him?" asked the tree demon.

"I-what?"

For a moment Kagome was taken aback, Bokuseno never talked much to anyone aside from Totosai and Tsubaki. _Why is he asking about a book signing?. _

"Well I only meant to offer some advice Lady Kagome"

_Advice for a book signing?_ It was the most random thing she ever heard.

"Sure" she replied, genuinely curious as to what said advice was.

"What are you going to do to get noticed?"

"What do you mean noticed?"

"Well a famous author probably sees hundreds of demons and humans every day. Would you not like to stand out?"

She was surprised by his response. She considered his advice and began to think if maybe she should be trying to stand out. Taisho's book series was one of the few things that gave her joy and provided her with an escape from her world.

"Well technically I'm staff so I'm sure we get a private audience with him"

"Well then make it count" Bokuseno took a swing from the silver flask Totosai had.

Before Kagome could question him Totosai began to make his way to her door, "We should be going"

"Wait a minute! Should the others be warned about a demon slayer?"

Totosai turned slightly to the miko. "Just tell them to be careful, as should you. We don't know what this enemy is planning"

She swallowed hearing the firmness in the demon's voice, "Kagome stay out of trouble, keep in mind the jewel and the shards you currently need to protect"

She sighed as they both disappeared into the night. She closed her door gently and made sure to lock it. Buyo jumped down from the armrest on her couch approaching its owners legs. "Well what do we make of that Buyo?"

Kagome could not believe that Hoshiyomi was actually dead. He had always been unpleasant to be around, but she never wished harm against the demon. If there was a demon slayer out there she would need to keep an eye on her friends.

"Crap"

She looked to the time on her phone. It quickly informed her that she needed to return to Edo soon if she wanted to make it on time to help a bit. She sprinted into her bedroom and began to sift through her items for a good outfit. She wanted to make a good impression but Bokuseno's words came to mind. _It would be nice to be noticed. _

A few minutes later she stood in front of her full body mirror. She wore a white silk tank top and dark blue skinny jeans. Over the tank top she had on a gray cardigan with black flats. She removed her messy bun and let her wavy locks fall to frame her face, emphasizing further the blue in her eyes.

She glanced over to her cat on the bed, "What do you think Buyo?"

The cat began to clean her tail. "I'll take that as a sign of approval,'' she chuckled lightly.

Kagome put the finishing touches to her outfit and then went to get her copy of _The Return. _

~oOo~

Fans were lined up outside of the entrance. She managed to squeeze past the groups of people, making her way to the stairway to get to the third floor.

"Nonfiction books are by the wall next to the posters" Kohaku's friendly voice drifted to Kagome.

He turned away from the patron and made his way over to her, setting the stack of _The Return_ aside on a nearby table.

"I see you got changed into something more comfortable. Here I thought you were gonna help us with the event"

"Very funny, technically I'm off duty"

"Well that depends on how crazy things get"

"Ha ha you're lucky I feel generous today" she said sarcastically.

"You bring it on yourself Gome going home from work and then returning to your workplace...expecting not to be asked to work".

She gave a playful glare.

"You do look nice though"

"Thanks, I wanted to stand out a bit"

They headed towards the main part of the floor. A large collection of chairs had been set up and the main podium was placed at the front. Hinata, the store manager and Kagome's direct supervisor, was busy trying to organize and finalize the last of the details for the event. She was stressed and nervous, it was evident from that scowl she wore on her face as she tried to look over the room.

"I better go help her Gome", Kohaku made his way over to her. Hinata was four months pregnant and was technically supposed to be taking it easy, but the woman was stubborn. Kagome couldn't just watch anymore and decided to go and take over so that she could take a much needed break.

"I think the chairs still need to be looked at Hinata, why don't you take a seat in one and let us know if there comfortable enough for our customers?"

She gave her a sharp jab in the ribs while laughing. Kagome nearly dropped the stack of books she had taken from her, but was happy to see her finally take a seat.

Akari also showed up and with a large green tea with Kagome's name written on it. It was the fourth one for her that day. After finishing with the set up and making sure Hinata had no excuse to get up from the chair, Kagome made her way over to the travel section of the store to get away from the crowd. She looked over to see the silver haired hanyou from earlier with his copy of _The Return_ tucked under his arm. He was looking at some travel books having to do with some part of the United States.

"Hello" she said with a big smile.

He jumped a bit at the sound of her voice.

"Sorry if I scared you" she said quickly.

"Keh… you didn't scare me," he said as he glanced at her direction.

"You changed clothes".

She looked at her outfit, now slightly concerned maybe she made a wrong choice in what she decided to wear. _Should I've just worn my uniform? Is this too much for a book signing?_

"Oh not that, thats a bad thing I just noticed you weren't wearing what I first saw you in," he said in a gruff voice.

He looked a bit flustered making the situation grow awkward. He turned back to the shelves of books resuming his search. She couldn't help but smile at him, slight rudeness aside something about him called to her.

"Is there something I can help you find?" she offered.

"If I knew I would have asked," he replied roughly.

She raised a brow at him. "I was just trying to be helpful"

"Well I didn't asked to be helped, besides some of these books don't even tell you what their about " he reached out for a book clearly frustrated "Why is it that people just try to sell books by having the best looking cover, what I need is fucking content"

She hesitated to answer, she was slightly annoyed with the demon, "Image goes a long way even in literature"

His eyes shifted down again giving her a once-over. Kagome noticed. "Besides you seem to be pretty caught up in outside appearance" she supplied.

She could see a small smirk curving on the demon's lips, "Well some things are hard to ignore"

His response caught her off guard. _Is he flirting now or insulting me?_

"You got dressed up to meet the writer?" he asked.

"Maybe I did. Whats it to you?" she had her arms crossed across her chest still unsure if he had intended to insult her earlier or not.

"Well if anything it just makes me wish I had some advance copies"

"Advanced copies, wait.."

"Inuyasha! We got ten minutes. Where- ah here you are, well come on" came Hinata's voice.

Hinata turned down the aisle to look at the author, Kohaku following close behind her. Her face lit up at seeing Kagome.

Kagome felt the world stop for a brief second, the realization of his words finally hitting her. Putting two and two together she looked up at her supervisor, "Kagome you met Inuyasha already"

Another authors note:

Please review :D. Also I might have an extra chapter posted by Monday if all goes well. Hope everyone has a great weekend!


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: This is my first fan fic so I apologize if it's not the greatest. I will be updating weekly (well try to), but please review !

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 4

"Shoot me Kohaku"

Sure, she was technically immortal, but she meant the sentiment nonetheless.

"Kami Kagome what exactly did you say to him?"

She was standing off to the side with the rest of the staff. Kagome saw fans clamour for the seats. She had a decent view of Inuyasha who was just about to read a section from his latest release. She was glad not to be in his direct line of sight. _I don't know if I could ever look him in the eye after this. _

"Hmmm nothing much just you know," she told him while keeping an eye out for Hinata. "I just mentioned how long he takes for his books to be published and that I would throw myself at him for advanced copies.."

Kohaku's eyes widened.

She was under the impression that she was just talking to a fellow fan, but of course, unbeknownst to her she was talking to the great author himself. He didn't even seem like the type to be a writer. Kagome always imagined him as this older male who wore thick rimmed glasses and spoke with an air of sophistication. Not a relatively young half demon who wasn't exactly friendly. Kagome was surprised to say the least that the author of one of her favorite series was actually a bit brash and rude. She still thought him attractive, but not the personality she expected whatsoever.

"Wait, I thought you were a fan? How is it possible you've never seen him?", Kohaku asked.

"He never puts his photo in the book sleeves and this is the first time he has gone on tour. He has basically been anonymous. For crying out loud the man doesn't even have his own personal social media"

"Well try to be positive. At least you got noticed, right?"

Kagome groaned, letting her head fall on to Kohaku's shoulder. She felt defeated.

Hinata looked back at her two employees. She wore a black top and gray slacks that had that knifty pregnancy band. She was glowing, and Kagome couldn't help but be enraptured by the image. It pulled at her heart. Since waking up all those eons ago, Kagome yearned to know of her family. Surely she had parents who never knew what happened to their daughter. Sometimes she wondered if she had a significant other when she tried to get the jewel. She couldn't remember them. _Once the jewel is restored and with Tsubaki, I will remember right?_

When Hinata first announced her surprise pregnancy Kagome was among the first to congratulate her. Despite being very happy, she also felt a bit jealous. Although the deal was to bring back the jewel to Tsubaki, she couldn't help but wonder if it would all be for nothing. _The jewel could be made whole and I can easily die simply because my job was done and my obligation to the jewel fulfilled._ In the end it was either collect the shards or wander all of Japan aimlessly until she perished. The jewel at the very least provided her with some hope of recovering her memories.

Kagome finally looked at the writer. He had just finished his reading and would be moving on to questions.

"Where do you get your ideas?" someone asked.

She smiled at the inquiry._ Of course that would be the first question of the night. _Inuyasha glanced at her direction before answering. She couldn't help but cringe a bit, remembering what she had told him.

The remainder of the event went on quickly. His answers were quick and simple, unlike his writing. His novels focused plenty on adventure and detailed plenty of violence, it also dealt with a very complicated relationship between a demon and human. The main protagonists, who despite their obvious differences, were growing to care very deeply for each other. His writing was also very witty and had a few moments of sentimentality that Kagome could not picture being put into words by the man who stood at that podium.

"Everything go okay?" came a voice from behind.

She looked over and saw Riku, the eldest son the store owner.

"It went really well Riku," Hinata told him " All that is left is the book signing and Kohaku already agreed to close up for tonight"

His eyes casually flicked over the rest of the staff and then back to Kagome. She could feel his gaze.

After the crowd was gone Kagome offered to help with clean up and closing. She made it a point to avoid Inuyasha.

"Can you meet me in my office once you guys are finished?" Riku muttered to her.

Riku was a wolf demon. He was tall and was wearing a charcoal gray suit that framed his body perfectly. He kept his long brown hair in a low ponytail and had the most striking green eyes. He also had a major crush on her and she was all too aware about it. She denied his advances multiple times until she had a lapse of judgement at the christmas party last year. The events of that night increased his efforts tenfold.

"I can't tonight," she answered "I have plans".

"Oh come on your lying, you don't even have class tonight"

"True, but I still have plans"

"Like?"

"Uh..um I have a date" she lied.

"Sure you do "

"No really I do"

"You said you don't date"

Kohaku noticed and called out to her, asking for her assistance. _Thank you kami for Kohaku! _

Sometime later Kagome was just about ready to head home. Inuyasha looked exhausted and very annoyed. He was leaning against the wall with his arms to his side. His eyes were shut. _He looks so peaceful. _At that moment an image flashed in her mind. _Inuyasha with an arrow pinning him back against the wall? _Her reiki began to dance along her finger tips longing to surround the half demon. It was demanding she go to him. She could feel herself grow nervous when Hinata called out for her to come closer. She focused calling it back, repressing it into herself. She needed to get away from him.

She was introducing the rest of the staff to the writer. Inuyasha shook everyone's hand quickly, and albeit a bit roughly, thanking them for hosting the event. When he reached Kagome he shook her hand and lingered a bit, she felt a strange pull to him.

"So you really enjoy my work?"

"Yeah" she smiled nervously.

Hinata confused at the tension between them tried to better the situation,"Kagome is one of your biggest fans. You should have seen her face when she found out you were coming here"

"Yup," added Kohaku. "She rereads your stuff all the time"

Kagome shot him a glare.

"How many times?," he said through a smug smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

She didn't want to answer. She was a terrible liar and honesty at this moment would only serve to further embarrass her.

"Well technically I'm not done with the new one yet, but quite a number of times for the older installments"

He raised a brow curious. Kohaku let out a laugh completely aware of why that was the case.

"Tell him why though. How you ration the pages to make it last" said Kohaku.

She felt the pink rise up in her cheeks. _Please merciful kami take me now._

"I read about a chapter a day" she muttered under her breath.

"Why?," the writer asked.

She let out a sigh rubbing the back of her head and looking down to the floor wishing it would give way and swallow her up. "Your story is exceptional and the first time you read something is always the best. I don't want to rush the journey"

She quickly shut up completely aware that she had all eyes on her. Inuyasha made no quick response and instead his face softened. Kohaku thankfully, changed the subject and the conversation continued without her. _Let me just get home to my cat. Maybe by tomorrow he'll forget me and I won't ever have to see him again. _

"Kagome can do it"

Upon hearing her name, she looked up, "What.. do what?"

"You will right?" said Riku

"Do what?"

"Show Inuyasha around the city tomorrow so he can get to know the area"

Inuyasha chimed in, "Keh my brother already said he would "

"Umm yeah" she said quickly, not trying to seem rude, especially not in front of her boss.

"It's fine really"

"She insists" said Riku and Kagome nodded.

Inuyasha and Kagome worked out the details of how they would meet up and such. She hoped some of the information registered in her mind. She focused more on the fact that she would not be able to avoid him. Not to mention she had to figure out why her reiki was reacting so strongly to him, it was risky being around him if that was the case. _Just when Totosai told me to lay low too._ She was about to head out the door when she remembered.

"Oh Inuyasha, do you mind signing my book?"

He took it from her, "Sure, but I'll give it back to you tomorrow"

"Wait.. why not just sign it?" she said in a panic, she hadn't read her chapter for the night yet.

"I can't think of what I want to write in it just yet"

"Your name would suffice" she said with a small pout.

"Keh- you'll get back tomorrow" he repeated as he walked away.

Kagome considered running after him and begging him to not deprive her of daily chapter. She was quickly brought out of her thoughts by Riku.

"Kagome can you come by my office, it will just be a minute"

She shook her head, "It's late maybe tomorrow or the day after, I have a date tonight"

"Yeah, a fake date"

"I'm not making it up"

Kagome began to panic a bit and looked around the store. She locked eyes with a good looking demon who was browsing the non-fiction section. She smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

"His here already, I shouldn't keep him waiting"

Still nervous, Kagome pushed down her insecurities and tried to put on the best come hither look she could. She motioned for him to come over. His eyes widened in shock, but nonetheless the strange man walked over to her. Upon arriving he put his arm around her waist, "Ready to leave?"

Kagome was surprised that he read the situation so well. _Duh he's a demon his hearing is much better than a humans._ He played the role perfectly. The man was tall, his hair was a light lavender and his eyes a deep purple.

"You bet!"

"I would've been here earlier, but the traffic"

She looked towards Riku, "Another time, sorry".

He nodded at her and walked away.

Her coworkers looked on curious to see the man that had managed to get Kagome to go out on a date. Like Riku, her coworkers were well aware of her no dating rule.

Kagome and her _date_ left the store and walked out into the chilly night. She looked at him and despite herself thought that he was very attractive. _Maybe a date with this guy wouldn't be such a bad idea._

He wore a long coat and dark fitted jeans. He was lean, but muscular. Kagome couldn't help but admire the guy.

"Thanks for the help"

He reached out to take her hand, "No problem. My name is Hakudoshi, but you can call my Haku"

"My name is Kagome"

She wrapped her arms around herself wishing she would have brought a jacket instead of just the thin cardigan.

"You can wear my coat. So where are we heading?" he said while putting his coat around her.

"Oh we aren't actually going out, but thank you for the help "

"Not a date then, how about just a quick bite to eat, ne?"

"No I'm sorry..it's nothing personal, I'm just not interested in dating anyone at the moment"

"Come on we played the part so well"

She looked at him. He had a point. He did help her out, but still she didn't want to encourage him.

"Would you settle for a phone number?"

"Now we're getting somewhere"

"Alright its 555-5555"

"Isn't that the store number?"

"Well I practically live here"

Kagome shivered not so much from the cold, but from being under his stare. A blush was creeping up on her cheeks.

"You're cold, let me take you home? My car isn't too far"

"I can probably walk faster to my place than it would take for us to get to your car"

She gripped his coat pulling it closer to her body, grateful for the warmth it provided.

"Then I'll walk you home" he suggested.

_Determined huh. _"Fine"

He gave a toothy smile and Kagome could feel her face getting red again. _Get a grip! I really need to get out more. _

Five minutes later they arrived at her apartment complex.

"Although I'm happy I got to walk you home, I also feel a bit cheated... you live too close to work" he whined.

"You got your walk home"

"Not fair whatsoever, but hey at least now I know where to pick you up for our actual date"

"You didn't disclose that you were a stalker, now that's not fair" she laughed.

He smiled at her again and reached out for her hand. He gave it a light squeeze, "I'll see you around".

He left back to the direction of the store. She waited for him to be out of sight and then headed to her apartment door. Stepping into her apartment she caught sight of herself in her mirror. _His coat! _

"He did that on purpose" she groaned.

_What in the hell!?_ Before she could turn the corner to her kitchen she caught sight of her friends.

"Seriously" she said, annoyed at having uninvited guests in her home yet again.

_I need to move to a new place._

"So does everyone get to come into my home without an invitation?"


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note: This is my first fan fic so I apologize if it's not the greatest. I will be updating weekly (well try to), but please review ! Also I'm sorry for the chapter this week, I really wanted to introduce some more of the characters and include the start of her date with Inuyasha. . soooo not too much development in this chapter, but next week will be better. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 5

"Since when is an invitation required", Bankostu pulled out a small silver key and shook it front of her face.

"I have a key!" he yelled with a smug expression.

Kagome glared and then turned her attention to the other intruders who were rummaging through her refrigerator. The first of the three was Shiori who had beautiful lilac colored hair and always had an amazing tan. Kagome had met her in battle against Naraku decades ago. Then there was Shippo who was the youngest of the bunch. She had found him not too long after taking on the task from Tsubaki. He was a young kit barely able to reach up to her knees; she instantly took to the little demon and became a mother to him. Finally there was Jakotsu who was a very close friend of Bankotsu. He was the most interesting of the group, he loved to plan events and social gatherings for the bunch whenever possible. Even when Kagome quit her last job a few years back, Jakotsu made it a point to plan a surprise party for the occasion. Albeit she made some great drunken memories that night.

"Yeah you always overreact", said Shiori.

"I'm overreacting!" Kagome raised her voice. She was about to continue on a rant when Bankotsu stood up in front of her, sizing her up.

"So how did you manage to get away with it"

"Get away with what?"

"Hoshiyomi"

"Oh kami not you too, do you honestly believe I purified him?"

"Everyone knows you weren't exactly a fan of him. Besides I don't blame you, just a shame I wasn't there to witness his demise" he pouted at her. "You could have called me you know".

Kagome sighed, "Well you see with purifying him and all, I got a little too caught up in the moment to give a thought to calling you"

"Seriously?" Jakotsu marveled at her, "I didn't think you had the nerve, I misjudged you Gome".

Across from them Shippo offered a warm smile, "Personally I'm just happy he's gone. He was a nuisance"

"But I didn't actually-" she started, now irked.

"Now Gome relax we're just teasing you" interrupted Jakotsu.

Kagome then noticed his hair. Jakotsu naturally had dark brown hair that he typically wore in a bun. Not only did he cut his gorgeous locks to a pixie length, but he had gotten random splotches of blonde and pink colored into it.

"Jakotsu you changed your hair"

Kagome was unable to tear her eyes away from the mismatched mane on her friend's head. Jakotsu, feeling a bit insecure, ran his fingers through his hair. "I got a new hairstylist, she's very high in demand, I'll let you know"

"Ask how much he paid for the damn thing" teased Bankotsu.

Kagome raised an eyebrow, "How much?"

He glared at her and then muttered the amount under his breath.

"What?"

"200!" he yelled ,"and I'll have you know Bankotsu that I regret nothing, it is not easy having such great taste when I am surrounded by _you_ people all the time"

"I think it looks good... just takes a bit getting used to," Kagome smiled at him, trying to look as reassuring as possible. This was not the first fashion risk Jakotsu had taken. This hairstyle was quite tame when compared to the full mohawk with frost tips he did back in the 90's.

"Your one to talk Gome, shouldn't you be off on some date with a john by now?"

Kagome gasped and then glared at Bankotsu, "You said you wouldn't tell!" she reached out and smacked him right in the back of the head "You even sealed your lips"

"Ahh-It just slipped out, I didn't mean to tell anyone"

"Did you really pose as an escort Kagome?" asked Shippo.

"All right, that's it. All of you out of my apartment!" she pointed to the door.

"I've been through enough today without you all adding to it"

"But we're dying to know the details on the murder you committed"

"Well technically it was Hoshiyomi who did the dying," Jakotsu started with a chuckle.

"Hey you guys watch it she may get one of us next" supplied Bankotsu.

Kagome could feel the steam pouring from her ears. "I'm only going to tell you this once, I did not kill Hoshiyomi"

Shippo reached out to her and put his arm around her.

"We know you didn't do it," the kitsune squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

Shiroi approached the counter in her kitchen and brought out some bottles from Kagome's liquor cabinet.

"Well now that, thats been cleared up why don't we play a game of do you remember when" she said while raising a bottle of grey goose.

"Before we do that" Kagome groaned, realizing it was going to be a long night "just know we all have to be careful we don't know what killed him, it could have been a demon slayer"

"But they haven't been around in a long time Gome," Shippo replied. He remembered how powerful those humans were, most were fair and only hunted and killed yokai who hurt humans. However for one to be targeting indiscriminately was unnerving. Homiyoshi for the most part steered clear of humans and only spoke to those involved with Tsubaki.

"Still lets just all be cautious this could even be Naraku's doing. The closer we get to him the more dangerous things get, try to remember the early days of our mission"

They all nodded in agreement. Shiori was the most eager to get on with the game and started on pouring shots.

"Enough serious talk let's play!" the hanyou yelled. Everyone save Kagome took a seat getting ready for a round.

"Let me get dressed in something more comfortable and then I'll make snacks" she took off to the direction of her bedroom as she yawned. _It's gonna be a long night._

A few hours later her group of friends were finally heading home save Shippo who passed out on the couch. She checked that her front door was locked and quickly got ready for bed, remembering to set her alarm for the impromptu tour she would be giving the writer.

ooOoo

Kagome woke up determined to speak to Myoga, an old flea demon that had assisted Kagome and her friends with information every so often in the past. _Maybe he knows about a demon slayer._

She quickly showered and got ready for the day. Inuyasha Taisho would be waiting to meet up with her in front of the book store in a couple hours. Kagome was still nervous for the ordeal.

Shippo must have gotten up early and went home, all that was left a small note on the kitchen table.

_Mama Gome didn't want to wake you, thanks for letting me stay on the couch. I made some pancakes, their in the microwave._

_-Love Shippo_

Kagome's face instantly lit up. She loved his pancakes, the kit had a knack for making them nice and fluffy. She went over to enjoy her breakfast and was out the door shortly after.

Once at Edo Akira had a large green tea set on the counter with Kagome's name written on the side with a large smiley face.

"Thanks for the tea!" Kagome sang.

Akira smiled at her as she continued to take orders from customers.

Hinata was close by waiting to greet the writer before they left to tour the city. "Make sure he likes our location Kagome, he is looking for a place to live. If he lives close by he is sure to come shop here or even write"

"That's why you wanted me to provide the tour so badly, you want me to bribe him to move here?"

"He is already planning on moving here to be closer to his family, just let him know how wonderful this particular part of town is...you have an apartment close by don't you?"

"Well yes"

"Perfect"

Kagome recalled him mentioning a brother, but was too caught up in her own embarrassment to pay attention to the remainder of the conversation.

"When?" Kagome asked.

"As far as I know now. This was his last stop for a reason, but for now he is staying with his brother. He seems anxious to find his own place though"

Kagome couldn't help but panic a bit. The events of last night came flashing back in her mind and not just from the embarresment. The pull she felt towards him and the way her reiki reacted so strangely to him. _Then there was that image of him pinned to the wall with an arrow. _She had hoped after today he would fly home, wherever that was, and she could put yesterday's events behind her. However if what Hinata said was true, she would see him on a weekly basis.

"Kagome here he comes" she nudged her lightly towards him.

Kagome gave him a big smile, "Morning".

She took a large sip of her green tea.

"Good morning" he muttered while yawning. He wore the same pants from the night before with a different t-shirt.

She began to lead the way, "Lets go!".

Inuyasha stretched his arms across his body while following the young woman. He was still very tired and the only reason he even came on the tour was to avoid getting yelled at by his publicist Rin, who also happened to his sister in law. He needed to get his own place as soon as possible. It was hard enough living back with his older brother, but now with both his overbearing sibling and his boss. It was too much for him to handle.

He followed the short woman who came to a stop at the front of the store. It dawned on Kagome once she was standing outside that she had no real plan as to how she intended the tour to go.

"Where to start?" she mumbled to herself. Shibuya had plenty of touristy parts, but if she needed to convince him to get a place nearby she had to show him the real local joints.

"Is there anything special you wanted to see?" she asked him, hoping for a place to start.

"Not really"

She grimaced and then it hit her. Myoga owned a small thrift store towards the local university. It was a nice area and not too far from the book store. Not to mention looking at Inuyasha, he fit the role of an older graduate student and would probably enjoy the college scene. She could ask her friend a few questions and show him a part of the city that he would likely enjoy. They could even grab a bite to eat. She knew a great ramen shop by the thrift store. It's very popular with the locals.

She decided to take a bus and ushered him in. He wasn't very happy, his sensitive nose made the trip terrible. Kagome whispered apologies to him and promised they would walk back. She insisted that lunch was on her to make up for the bus.

The bus stop left them just a few blocks away from Myoga's shop.

"So your brother lives in the area?"

"Yeah, but it's too suburban for me"

"What part?"

"I think it's called Kawagoe"

"Thats a nice calm area. I'm guessing you're not looking for a place their?"

"Keh- probably not, I don't wanna be that close to the bastard"

"Do you have an idea of where you want to live?" she asked trying to mask the shock from him calling his own brother a bastard.

"Nah"

Annoyed that he wasn't providing much feedback she continued to the thrift store. She was just glad her reiki was not reacting to him again. _Maybe it was a fluke…_

Before Kagome could even tell him about the ramen store Inuyasha caught scent of the food and smiled a toothy grin.

"Ramen?"

"This place is the best I was gonna ask if you wanted to have lunch here with me?"

"I would have gone whether you wanted to or not, but yeah you can come with"

He quickly made his way into the shop and ordered two bowls of their best selling ramen. He turned and looked at her, "Well, what you eating?"

Kagome laughed, "I'll take one bowl of whatever his having and a large green tea"

"Oh that's a good idea, two large green teas"

Kagome reached for her wallet and insisted on paying for lunch, but he stopped her and threw his card at the teenager behind the cash register.

"You already got stuck with showing me around, I got lunch"

"I wanted to show you around but thank you nonetheless,'' she smiled at him as they made their way to a small table by the window.

They ate in silence enjoying the delicious noodles. Kagome had to admit it was nice to eat without having the need to talk, it was a comfortable silence for both the miko and hanyou.

"This is nice"

Inuyasha looked outside and nodded in agreement. He came out to the area to help his older brother, but so far had thought it was going to be a total drag. He left friends behind and sold his home off the coast. Never did he think that he would be moving to be closer to his brother. Especially considering that just a few hundred years back they nearly killed each other, multiple times. This time however his brother's wife, Rin, was sick and with their four pups Sesshomaru was struggling. He asked for Inuyasha to move closer. He would have said no, but his brother never asked for help.

"This area is not so bad"

She followed his gesture to the university building and small park. There was also lots of little specialty stores and hole in wall food joints.

She looked at him and he met her stare, it was the first direct eye contact they had made that whole day.

"Are there any places to live around here?" he inquired.

"Sure if you don't mind sharing a room with a bunch of eighteen year olds, but it you want something private I'm sure you can find something decent. It's just gonna cost you"

He looked away from her and continued taking in the scenery.

"We can walk around and see if we can find some places for you to look at?" she offered.

"Sure, but I wanna stop by the record store first "

"Can we stop by next door real quick? Its along the way to the record store"

"Keh, I guess"

Myoga owned and worked at the used bookstore and antiques. She loved going to visit the shop, although it made her feel a tad bit guilty to be gushing over the old books when she had new crisp books at Edo. A brown fat cat dropped down from the counter seeking attention from the two patrons. Kagome indulged it while Inuyasha began to pull on its tail to torment the feline.

He wandered over to the used children's book section once the cat got away from him. Kagome waited for Myoga to show himself.

"What the-"

Inuyasha clapped his hand against his neck. A small groan could be heard.

"Master Inuyasha its been far too long"

"Myoga, you still alive huh"

The small demon ignored the comment, "Lady Kagome to what do I owe the visit"

Myoga quickly jumped onto her shoulder, "Well I was hoping to talk to you for a bit if you have time."

"For you, always my lady"

She smiled at the small flea demon, "Let's head to your office ?"

"You know the way"

"We will be back in a bit Inuyasha, mind the store would you" said the small flea.

He ignored them. Kagome headed to the very back of the store. The flea demon had a small office where he kept his most valuable items. She turned on the small lamp on his desk and took a seat while admiring his collections of random objects. It always amazed her how much the small demon had managed to accumulate.

"Did you hear about Hoshiyomi?" she asked.

"Ahh yes he will be missed...by some"

"Do you know what killed him?"

"He was purified, only a miko could have done that to him"

_Another miko. _It had been some time since she had seen one, let alone one that was trained.

"Kagome if you would allow me some time I can ask around and see if anyone knows where we might find this miko"

She nodded, "Just be safe about it, it's not worth it if it's too dangerous."

"In the many years you have known me, have I ever put myself in harms way"

She laughed and went to open the door. "How do you know Inuyasha?"

"I once served his father the great Dog general and used to travel with him for some time, but he ran off and disappeared once the trouble with the jewel began"

"So he was after the shards?"

"No Master Inuyasha desired to bring it to the miko of the jewel, he was in love with her"

"Oh"

_Inuyasha is in love with Tsubaki._

She felt a slight pang in her chest but pushed the feeling down. "I'll see you in a few weeks Myoga thanks again"

Kagome put on her best poker face and made her way back to the writer.

A/N:Again so sorry the abrupt ending, I had internet issues and family come over. Please review ! IF I GET A FEW REVIEWS I MIGHT POST AN EXTRA CHAPTER ON WEDNESDAY OTHERWISE FRIDAY ! thanks for reading and hope you like the story so far! :D Have a great weekend everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Authors note: Hey everyone :) Thanks for reading and please know I will be editing this chapter in the next few days, but I really wanted to post something for you guys. Please review I appreciate all feedback! Also I might not be able to post again until next Sunday. Thanks for taking the time to read and again please review !

Chapter 6

Kagome approached the hanyou who was searching through a collection of children's books. She tried to get his attention, but he was too occupied with his task to pay her any mind. She took the chance to look around Myoga's store. Along the walls of the store she noticed an array of items, shelves were filled with random knick knacks and even some pieces art.

In the far corner of the shop a large weapon was hung. Kagome got closer to it, something about it looked familiar. It was shaped like a large boomerang and had leather wrapped around it on each end. The top part had a strap where you could grip it. _I bet that could deal some major damage. _She reached out to touch it, curious as to what material it was made out of. She ran her fingers along it, a faint demons aura could be felt. _This is made of demon bones._ This type of weapon must be rare, especially if Myoga had decided to keep it, so where had she come across it before. In that moment Kagome felt the shards pulse. Her eyes widened in panic. It quickly subsided, but she had no way of knowing if she had been the only one to have felt the shards pulse with power. _I better talk to Totosai and soon. What if Inuyasha felt the pull of power?_

She eventually made her way back to Inuyasha, who was still looking through the same books. Kagome approached him with caution. She was all to aware the lengths human and demons would go in order to obtain a single shard, let alone the numerous hanging around her neck. It probably would have been best to just leave, but she didn't want to just ditch the writer either. _Besides chances are he didn't notice it. _

Inuyasha was sitting cross legged surrounded by the books he had picked out and was flipping through the various titles that had gotten his attention.

"What are you looking for?" she inquired.

He ignored her question. Tired of being ignored, she sat down next to him. _Doesn't seem like he felt it thank kami. _He eventually tore his gaze away from the books to meet her eyes. From this close she could see the fine details of the various hues of gold in his eyes. She glanced at what he had selected, but felt him tense up.

"Tales of the Feudal Era, huh"

He held the hardcover book and continued flipping through the pages. She recognized the titles of familiar stories, some she hadn't seen in a long time.

"I wanted to get a gift for my niece, its her birthday" .

He turned the book over and took a look at the price tag. "It's a little high in price, but I think she'll like it. Where's that damn fleabag anyway?"

Kagome caught sight of the price, "No way" _Sixty dollars for a book, I don't think so Myoga._

Kagome took out a twenty dollar bill and left it on the counter. She pulled Inuyasha up onto his feet and out of the store. "I'll see you next time Myoga!" she yelled.

She began to head to the record store, but Inuyasha stopped and pulled his hand out of her grip.

"No need, I already got her a gift. Let's head back to the bookstore"

Inuyasha was anxious to get back to his brother's, he needed time to think. It had been so long that he just wasn't sure. At Myoga's he finally had been able to place her. He had seen Kagome before, she was the woman he used to dream about a long time ago. Her eyes should have given it away, but he hadn't thought about her in so long. He loosely based the female protagonist in his writing on the woman that haunted his dreams, but to see the physical manifestation of what tormented him for so long...

Kagome could sense his unease and wanted to make sure he ended his tour on a good note.

"How about we walk through the sculpture garden, it's just on the other side of the university?" she asked and gestured towards the direction of the garden.

"It's getting late and my niece is expecting me"

Defeated she gave him a small smile trying to hide her disappointment. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a tad guilty. He didn't like being the reason she was anything less than content.

"Fine, but let's make it quick" he conceded

"Yes!" she cheered, "You won't regret it and I'll get you back to the bookstore before it gets dark, I promise"

Kagome smiled at him and both made their way to cross the street. The campus was large and filled with people, mostly college students. She noticed some students sitting on the patches of grass studying while others just took a nap on their book bags. Kagome enjoyed walking through the campus, it gave her the opportunity to pretend that she was a student, just living a normal life stressing over tests and missing home. She was too distracted to notice that they had approached the steps and lost her footing. She closed her eyes and stuck her arms out waiting for the impact of the fall down the stairs, but it never came.

Inuyasha pulled her back by the waist to keep her from falling, "Wench watch where you're going". Her body was pressed up against him. She couldn't help but blush at the fact that she was close to him. The sensation of being this close to another person felt foreign to her. He removed his arm from around her waist and began to walk down the steps. Kagome stood there, dumbfounded and red in the face. _Get a grip girl! He doesn't want to be around a fangirl. _

"Come on! Your supposed to be guiding me remember" he yelled back at her.

"Uhh..Right!", she ran down the steps to catch up with him and lead them to the garden.

It was a small area filled with assorted sculptures that the school had managed to procure over the years. They walked by each piece admiring the work and taking the time to read the information on each one. It was a comfortable silence. Once they reached the last one Kagome decided to sit on a nearby bench and take a much needed break. It had been awhile since she'd walk this much. Inuyasha joined her and took a seat next to her.

"Thanks for showing me around" he remarked.

"No problem, I'm sorry it wasn't more eventful"

"Finding a good ramen shop made it worthwhile"

"I'm guessing that you enjoy ramen" she said through a slight chuckle.

"What else is there to eat that tastes better than ramen"

"Ummm let me think" she stroked her chin "hmmm oh oden duh"

He laughed, "Oden wishes it was ramen"

"Excuse me" she turned to face him and poked her finger into his chest "You just haven't had quality oden, if you did you'd know that it was the superior option of the two"

He scoffed at the comment, "Lie to yourself all you want, but I ain't buying your lies"

"Alright well now I have to make it for you. If you still cling to your delusion that ramen is better than I'll agree with your blatant lie"

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Is that a bet?"

"Sure, call it what you want"

"Hmm, how about we raise the stakes" he couldn't help himself. He was naturally very competitive and knew there was no way he ever say anything was better than ramen.

She grew a tad concerned. _What is he thinking?_

"Depends what do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Nope, lets just shake on it and we just have to agree to whatever the other comes up with"

He reached out his hand to hers, she hesitated, afraid of what he would ask but refused to back out of the challenge. _The sanctity of oden is on the line. _She grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.

"I wager that if you can manage to change my mind about the love of my life, ramen that is, then I will get 'Oden is better than ramen' tattooed somewhere"

Her eyes widened, she was taken back to say the least. Kagome had never gotten a tattoo, she was afraid of needles and not to mention preferred to avoid pain if possible. Getting a tattoo never crossed her mind in all her years.

"But thats so permanent and doesn't it hurt?"

"Too bad you already shook on it and besides it can't hurt that bad, people get them all the time"

She swallowed at the thought of having a random person run a machine that pushed needles into her skin. He was right though, she already shook on it and she was determined to win.

"Fine, but loser gets to pick where and the size"

"Fair enough"

The sun was beginning to set and Kagome recalled her promise. It was as if the hanyou read her mind.

"Alright let's head back before you freeze", he said as he motioned to her tank top.

"The forecast said warm weather, I didn't want to dress warm then sweat and offend your sensitive nose"

"Hmph you consider that with your outfit, but it never crossed your mind about the bus"

She sighed, "I said I was sorry".

"Keh, come on"

They headed back to the other side of campus and began their walk back to Edo. She was tempted to get him back on the bus since her feet were sore. but knew he was unlikely to agree after the headache he had gotten on it earlier. An hour later they were able to see the sign for the bookstore.

"Finally!" she yelled.

"What already tired.. typical human-" he muttered the last part but was interrupted by his phone ringing. He pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the screen. "Uhh what does the bastard want now" he grumbled before taking the call.

"What?" he answered. "I'll catch a cab over… yeah yeah I know I'll get their as soon as I can just take her to the hospital" Kagome tried to give him some privacy, but couldn't help overhearing some of the conversation.

"Leave Jaken for now I'll be there soon bye"

He hung up and let out a sigh, "I gotta get a cab right away"

"If you need a ride I have a car"

"Its fine I can pay for a cab"

Kagome had enjoyed her day with him, despite his brash attitude. Something about him was endearing, "I insist besides i still need to make up for the bus"

His ears twitched, "I guess you do owe me for that, but maybe some other time. It's a family emergency kind of deal"

"Oh okay...I hope everything is okay"

"Yeah me too, but I'll see you around".

The silver haired demon headed into the store to wait for the cab. Kagome turned and headed home. Her mind was reeling. The jewel had pulsed and she had no idea what caused it or if it would happen again. As she got to her apartment complex, it hit her. _My book! _

"Damn it, he forgot to give me back my book" Kagome stomped up to her apartment door, her initial feelings of worry pushed aside and replaced by irritation at the writer.

Authors note: Sorry for the short chapter, but like I mentioned above I will be heavily editing this in the next few days and may be late on posting this upcoming week. Please review! Hope everyone has a great weekend!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Disclaimer : I don't own Inuyasha.

A/N: So sorry for my absence and not posting for the past couple of weeks. Things have gotten a tad bit hectic in my life and I haven't had much of a chance to write. However, this chapter is a bit longer than my normal length. I will be posting monthly now, but will be making the chapters much longer. (Longer than this even) Again sorry for the absence and please review I really appreciate all feedback. The story is slow in development, but the next chapter we will get more into the plot.

Two weeks had passed since Inuyasha had seen Kagome. The nightmares had come back just as he suspected they would. He had begun writing decades ago and never meant for any other set of eyes, aside from his own, to ever read what he wrote. Hell, he never considered himself an actual writer, it all began as just a way to document the incessant dreams that plagued him every night.

It was all inspired by the blue eyed woman he couldn't rid from his mind. He laid in his bed that was situated in his new condo near the university. Kagome was right it was an expensive area, but some perks did come from being a bestselling author. He sighed when he looked over at his alarm clock and saw her copy of his book staring at him. He knew she was waiting to get it back and to make matters worse, he still hadn't signed it. Inuyasha was feeling restless, it was like all those years ago when his dreams just wouldn't let him get a decent night's rest.

The dreams never began the same. Some would begin with him waiting by a well, others with him watching over her while she slept, and then others in the midst of battles. The dreams were quite vivid and haunted him for many years. It seemed the only way to quell his thoughts was to write them out. Inuyasha had never meant for it to become the best selling success it now was. If it weren't for Rin who decided to snoop through his belongings back when him and his brother finally came to a truce, it would never have been more than just his private journals.

The human his brother mated was stubborn and eventually convinced him to publish it. She took it upon herself to get the book recognized and was the driving force behind the book's success. He only had one condition up until now, he did not want to be known. Having his name on the book was fine, but he rather he wasn't made out as a public figure. Of course even with just his name he had the occasional fan that he bumped into, but his brash attitude tended to deter them from pushing for photos or anything.

However this past year was a whirlwind. Rin had gotten sick, she developed cancer. She had dealt with it a few years back and beat it quickly enough, but it came back and was much more aggressive this time around. Sesshomaru was confident Rin would survive this second battle with the illness, but they had pups. Their children were becoming too much for the demon lord to handle. Inuyasha received the call and sold his home right away. Although never the closest of siblings, even Inuyasha understood the stress his brother was dealing with. Dog demons were extremely protective of their pack and for Sesshomaru only pack could be trusted around his young pups.

Inuyasha was close to his niece and nephews. From the moment he found out Rin was expecting his heart swelled. Inuyasha had wanted a family of his own and despite dating quite a bit, the only woman that ever seemed to be on his mind was the one with blue eyes. Now that he found her life seemed much more complicated for the hanyou. _Is this a good or bad thing?_

The woman brought out such a storm of emotions in him. She called to him. Just being in her presence calmed his aura, but it also reminded him of the nightmares. Every dream ended the same, she was hurt. He could smell her blood, and he could hear her calling out to him for help. Inuyasha shook his head trying to get the images of her injured from his mind. He had been avoiding the inevitable. He had passed by Edo quite a number of times, but always made sure to check for her scent. If he smelled her, he would simply avoid the store. It was pathetic since he knew he was putting off the inevitable and not to mention he had to return her book. _I imagine the wench is pretty upset at me for not having returned her book already. _Inuyasha sighed deeply while dragging himself out of bed.

The hanyou had plans to babysit for his brother today and had to be their on time. He quickly got dressed and prepared for his long day of playing Uncle Inu as his niece loved to call him. He smiled at the thought of the young girl. She had the Taisho golden orbs and her mother's dark brunette hair. She took more after her mother in personality, thank the kamis. It was one of the things he found most endearing about Yuki, she was bubbly and so anxious to learn about everything. As he grabbed his car keys, he made up his mind. He climbed into his vehicle and made his way out of the city and into the suburbs.

oOo

Kagome brushed her hair out of her face as she raced up the steps to her apartment door. Just as she was going to open the door, she noticed a pink slip on the top of her welcome mat, it looked like it had been taped to her door.

"Package?" she read aloud, confused.

_I haven't ordered anything, have I?_

She opened her door to quickly drop off her bag and put on something more comfortable before going to pick up her mystery package.

She walked over to the leasing office of her apartment and went over to the young lady with the pink slip in hand.

"Here to pick up a package?" the teenager asked.

Kagome handed her the slip and pulled out her ID while nodding yes to her question. The girl smacked on her gum and headed to the back. She wondered what could it possibly be that she ordered, she had no memory of any online purchases and although it was a commonplace thing for her to do she had not indulged in any online shopping recently. _What if I accidentally subscribed to something? _

The girl emerged from the small room with a large vase filled with pink and purple flowers. She placed them on the counter and handed Kagome back her ID. "These came for you today".

"Who sent them?" Kagome asked.

The girl looked at her clearly annoyed and pointed at the note attached to a plastic holder in the center of the bouquet, "I think that little letter will tell you".

Kagome grabbed the vase, it was large and quite heavy. She begrudgingly began her walk up the stairs with her arms wrapped around the vase. She set them on her kitchen counter. They were beautiful that she could easily admit to, but who sent them to her. She reached for the note unsure of what to expect. She opened the envelope and saw a handwritten note.

_Kagome_,

_I had hoped leaving you my coat would prompt us to meet sooner rather than later, but alas it seems that plan failed. Hope these flowers brighten your day and that we may have a chance at that date very soon. I do need my coat back, its my favorite. _

_-Haku _

That guy from the night of the book signing. Kagome felt herself blush at the idea of going out on a date with the guy. _Stalker guy huh? I thought he would have forgotten about me by now._

Kagome pondered over the idea of potentially dating the man. _He was cute and those eyes of his_. As much as she wanted to deny that she enjoyed the idea of spending time with this guy she couldn't. Now it wasn't the same attraction she felt towards the writer, that was more affection than the lust she was currently experiencing for her savior. She sighed and plopped herself down on her couch, scaring her cat off the couch. "Come here Buyo!" she pouted at the feline. The cat turned and stuck is arse up at its owner. Kagome raised an eyebrow at the cats response, "Hmph, fine lets see what happens when it's time for your next meal".She crossed her arms and looked at the time. It was early evening and it was nearing that time of day again.

_I should be ordering in and getting ready to read my section for the night. _Thoughts of Inuyasha entered her mind again. She hadn't seen him since the tour and her book still had yet to be returned. Kagome at first thought it was only because he was busy, but after two weeks of absence she was convinced he had decided to steer clear of the area and her. She was under the impression that they had a decent day and that he was sincerely considering moving into the University district. She ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated Kagome reached for her phone and tapped the 1 on her speed dial. A friendly voice quickly picked up, "Thank you for calling Sunshine Thai, how can I help you?"

"Hello Miko, how's your day going?" she responded.

"Kagome I was waiting for your call and it's been hectic, want your usual?"

"You already know"

"Still no book huh"

"Nope, can you add a large green tea to my order?"

"Of course it will be delivered in 45 minutes"

"Alright thanks Miko have a good night "

The line went dead and Kagome decided to get in a quick shower before the food arrived. She had a full shift the next day and not to mention a meeting later with her friends.

Buyo was in the kitchen meowing as she walked past him heading to the bathroom, "I told you!" Kagome stuck its tongue out at her cat.

oOo

She was running late. Despite having gone to bed early Kagome had forgotten to set her alarm. It was moments like this that reminded her why it was good to live so close to work.

She walked into Edo expecting for Kohaku to pop up any moment to chastise her about being late, but to her surprise he wasn't in yet either. _So the kami's don't hate me after all. _Kagome quickly clocked in and made her way over to her the cashier's section of the store. Customers were already browsing around. Off to the left were some small tables where patrons could have a drink of coffee and read. She felt eyes on her. Casually she turned to the tables, her eyes widen, it was Haku.

She turned back as a customer approached her to make a purchase. Kagome put on her award winning smile and rung up the gentleman. She heard footsteps coming from the direction Haku had been. _His coming over oh no!. _

He came up to her with a book in hand. She sighed as he approached her, "You really are a stalker," she said.

"Well, aren't you being a bit presumptuous. I am only interested in getting my coat back and buying this book of course"

"Oh" Kagome felt herself begin to blush. "Well thanks for the flowers, but you could have just called the store and left a message about your coat".

Haku shrugged his shoulders as he took out his card to pay, "You have a point, but I thought the flowers would help"

"Help?" she inquired.

"Help convince you to go have a drink with me"

_Of course. _"Not this again"

"In my defense you baited me with a date" he countered, "Besides we are both in too deep, might as well have a casual date..it will be like ripping off a bandaid or pouring alcohol to clean a wound."

"Wow" Kagome said with a slight chuckle. "And people complain romance is dead". Despite the sarcasm in her voice, she found it easy to talk to him. She wanted to shun Haku, but found he was hard not to like.

"Is that a yes?"

"Haku you really seem like a nice guy and all-" he interrupted her with a groan.

"Don't give me the whole it's not you it's me spiel. It's never good news for the person on the receiving end"

She crossed her arms and looked him in the eye, "I am not trying to get into a relationship right now."

"Woah!" Haku put his hands up, "Slow down, I'm not asking for you to marry me or anything, just a drink or a quick meal"

Kagome leaned against the register thinking over his offer. She was fully aware it was possible for two members of the opposite sex to go out on a date and not have it escalte to anything, but she liked him. She found herself attracted to the guy, in a lustful way. That was dangerous. Any relationship she got involved in was risky. Her goal to obtain the jewel shards from Naraku put a target on her back and it would be easy for those that she cared about to also be in danger. Her friends were also her allies which meant that they were all involved anyway so no added guilt.

"I don't even know you,''she spat out quickly while handing him his new book and receipt. Haku smiled, "Well what do you want to know?"

"Uhh..well what do you do?"

"I'm in real estate"

"How long have you been in this area?"

"Just moved last year"

"Hobbies"

"Reading, but if you'd like I can get you a copy of my college transcripts, my resume and a couple letters of recommendations even that can vouch for my character"

Kagome waved her hand at him trying to dismiss him so she could check out the next customer.

"So?" Haku persisted.

"I would like to. I really would, but I can't right now" she answered solemnly.

"How about we pinky promise no further dates or interaction after just one night out?"

"You would agree to that?" she raised a brow at him scanning the items for the customer who was clearly annoyed at being subjected to their back and forth.

"Sure, but if you change your mind, we can always revisit the terms"

The customer paid and grabbed his back of items and stormed off. Kagome sighed not pleased that her new personal life was interfering with what was supposed to be the simplest aspect of her day.

Kagome then felt her pocket vibrate. _Who would be calling me right now? _She took her phone out and saw a picture of Shippo on her screen. She looked up at Haku and he noticed her look of concern.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah I mean I don't know. I have to go take this call I'm sorry. Thank you for the flowers and I'll get you your coat back soon."

"Wait", he pulled out a pen and on his receipt wrote his number.

He put it in her hand, "Incase you change your mind".

Kagome gave him a small smile and continued to the break room, Shippo called her and that alone was very concerning to her. _I won't change my mind, it's not worth the trouble. _

She put her phone to her ear, before she could even say hello Shippo's voice boomed into her ear, "Gome!"

"What's wrong Shippo? I'm at work"

"Oh I'm sorry, but something happened"

"Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" Kagome grabbed her bag fully prepared to walk out of work in the middle of her shift.

"Well no, but I am pretty sure we were followed last night, Jakotsu said that I'm imagining it but…"

"Where were you guys?"

"We had left The Arrow late and were heading home when I sensed someone, I don't know Gome it was weird"

"Ok one how dare you guys go out without me, you know I love that bar and two I believe you, your demon instincts probably sensed something they couldn't"

"Things are going to get much more dangerous aren't they Gome?"

Kagome sensed his uneasiness, "We have all known things would eventually get dangerous, but we will get through it I know it" she stopped as she began to grow upset at the thought of things getting as chaotic as they were back when they first traveled around for shards.

"Thank you for telling me Shippo tonight we will go see Myoga. He might have some information for us by now "

"You have the shards and that's likely the target of whatever is going on be careful okay"

"True but remember Hoshiyomi was the one we lost"

"I'll let you get back to work, Suikotsu and Jakotsu want me to go get groceries with them for tonight"

She smiled at the idea of shopping with Suikotsu and Jakotsu. "Alright hope it goes smoothly...oh and where's Shiori?"

"She's still at work at the preschool"

"Ah that's right, okay"

"Bye Gome"

"Bye Shippo"

Kagome put her phone away quickly, she went way past her 15 minute allotted break. Once back on the sales floor, Hinata was greeting customers and wore a big smile on her face when she glanced at her. The pregnant woman waved her to come over. She instantly stiffened concerned that the earlier customer was upset at the incessant flirting he witnessed and decided to complain.

"Morning Hinata, your glowing today" she said earnestly.

"Aww Kagome must you always butter me up, I just wanted to thank you"

"Uh..Uh oh of course thank me...for what?"

"Inuyasha of course, he got a place in the university district and plans to write and research here since the library by the university is always full"

"Oh"

"Yup and oh" Hinata noticed a customer looking for assistance and Kohaku had a line beginning to form. "We can talk more later though Kagome. Can you go help Kohaku?"

She nodded and quickly went back to her register. _He decided to stay after all. _Kagome got a warm feeling in her chest and found it difficult to ignore the smile that wanted to form on her face. The feeling both excited and scared her. In her long life she had messed around with a few guys and demons here and there, but none ever stirred actual feelings. Yet the writer with his short role in her life left a hole in his two week absence. She would be lying if she said she never thought about him or wondered why he hadn't reached out to her.

oOo

It was near the end of her shift and Ayame had sent her a text notifying her of a hot large green tea that was waiting for her. Kagome made her way to the cafe portion of the store with her belongings. It was a long day filled with a number of customers and organizing stands for new releases. Green tea was definitely what she needed to unwind. As she got closer she noticed silver hair at one of the tables. From the back he looked as he never even changed his clothes from the day they spent together. _I wonder if those are the same pants he wears everyday or does he actually own multiples. _His back was facing her and her tea was waiting right in his line of sight on the counter. She couldn't help but wonder if Ayame had done this to her on purpose.

Kagome adjusted her shirt and brushed back her hair. She then went to grab her green tea and turned to walk past his table. His eyes were locked on his laptop screen. It would have been best to just walk away and head home, but she did not like being ignored, especially when she had a special book to inquire about.

"Hey,'' she said as she approached his table.

"Hi," he stayed silent and still did not look up at her.

"Writing?"

"Yeah"

Kagome waited a bit hoping he would offer something of an explanation for his absence or at the very least add to her pathetic attempt at having a conversation.

"So Hinata said you moved into the university district. I'm glad you liked the area"

He didn't reply to her statement, but finally looked up at her. "Ever been to the famous tree by the Higurashi shrine?"

She was a bit taken aback, "The one in Tokyo right? I went once"

"Do they mention how long it's been around?"

"I can't remember the specific number of years, but it's easily been around for more than 500 years"

"Keh that's what I figured" he turned his attention back to his laptop and started typing once more.

"This will likely be the last installment and I'm only just getting started on it"

Kagome stared at him, completely in awe that she was witnessing what would be the conclusion to her favorite series being written.

"Amazing" she muttered.

"Keh I'm kinda busy. I'll see you around okay"

Her mood darkened, she was being dismissed.

"What about my book?"

"I'll get it back to you soon"

"It's been awhile just for a signature ya know" her voice raised slightly from her annoyance.

"I'll send you an email, I can't talk right now"

"Are you serious?"

Inuyasha sighed and nodded.

"Hmph" Kagome took a gulp of her hot tea and walked away from the writer. She stormed out of the store and headed down the three blocks to her apartment complex. _What a jerk!_ _Even if he is a famous best selling author, that wasn't an excuse to be such a baka. _She went straight to her liquor cabinet and poured herself a glass of wine. A small part of herself was happy to have seen him, despite his rudeness. Kagome resigned to drinking her wine.

She had almost fallen asleep on her couch when her phone vibrated, causing her to stir. Kagome's eyes winced at the bright light her phone screen gave. It was a notification for an email she just received. She rubbed her eyes and swiped to open it.

_Kagome,_

_After the tour you provided to me, which I again thank you since you saved me from having to hunt down a good ramen place, I decided to get a place as close as possible to it. You were definitely right about it being a pricey area. I asked my brother if he knew any real estate agents and as expected he did. She showed up, I shit you not, ten minutes after they were off the phone. The wench pulled up in a brand new Mercedes and had this huge grin plastered on her face (possibly due to the inevitability that she would be making a good chunk of commission off me). She arrived with a list of places that I could look at and went on and on about the area. After the grueling experience of seeing places and having to hear her gush about what each place offered, I finally settled on a decent sized condo near the campus. I put in an offer that same day. I have been dealing with moving in and other little annoying details which have prevented me from coming by. _

_I wanted to update you on what happened and at least give an explanation as to why I haven't returned your copy of my book. I haven't forgotten about it and will get it back to you soon. Sorry for being short earlier just when I finally get into writing I can't pull away from it. Writing is a demanding mistress. Anyways I'll be seeing you around. _

_-Inuyasha (the incredible writer you're obsessed with) _

Kagome couldn't help but reread the email twice. She was surprised that he was indeed the writer she had religiously read. Despite meeting the writer in person, his brashness and rough demeanor made it difficult for her to see him as the actual writer of her favorite series. The male protagonist was always described as this considerate, protective leader type and the female was always well intentioned but could be quite annoying for always leading them right into trouble. Her favorite protagonist was the male demon, Toga and she didn't necessarily dislike Izayoi but her constant need to help others and always calling out for Toga made her the least favorite of the ragtag group, in her opinion.

Kagome sent a quick reply remembering her own rag tag group would be at her door in an hour for their night out.

_Inuyasha,_

_Another day without my book, you wound me so. I'm glad it worked out with the location being so close to the ramen and congrats on the condo. Hope to see you sooner rather than later with my book. _

_-Kagome _

a/n: Sorry for the lack of development this chapter next chapter will be better in regards to plot development. Sorry for the poor editing, but I really wanted to get this posted tonight. Please review and again sorry for my absence! Hope you all have a great week and thanks for reading!


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